Michael S.

Laramie, WY

Chemistry Professor

Michael offers online lessons

Michael is approved to conduct lessons through Wyzant Online. Wyzant Online allows students and tutors to work remotely via video, audio, and collaborative whiteboard tools. For more information about how online tutoring works, check out Wyzant Online.

If you’re interested in online lessons, message Michael to get started.

$50/Hour

Queens College

chemistry

Queens College

Master's

Harvard University

PhD

Education

Queens College (chemistry)

Queens College (Master's)

Harvard University (PhD)

About Michael

From the first semester I was in college I knew I wanted to study chemistry. I did not have any background in it before I started, but that first course just intrigued me so. After a couple of years of studying it in college I knew I wanted to teach chemistry. While I pursued my Ph.D., I worked as a T.A. as often as I could, not just to gain more experience but also because I felt I could help the students in my classes. After I received my Ph.D. I took many part-time teaching jobs in the hopes of landing a full-time academic position, which I finally did in 2001.

I have taught chemistry to all levels of students, including, believe it or not, acupuncturists! One of my earliest part-time teaching positions after I received my Ph.D. was teaching General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry to students at the New England School of Acupuncture. The students were required to take these "Western Science" courses, even though they had absolutely no interest in the material. In fact, many of them resented the fact that they being forced to learn something that was not related to their field. They were a tough audience, but I managed to show them that there was a lot of relevant material in these courses. By the end of the series, even the most resentful students were happy and grateful. For me, that was the time when I knew I chose the right field to go into.

The lessons I learned from that experience have been incorporated into my general approach to teaching any course. I learned to adapt to the students and not force them to adapt to me. I also learned that it is vital to apply the material to the students' interests. This is a challenge in a big lecture where there are hundreds of students, but I try to do it by bringing in applications to many different fields. This also helps keep students focused on the big picture, which is easily lost in a subject like general chemistry where each chapter in a textbook seems like it is disconnected from all the others.

Although tutoring is a bit different than lecturing, I do try to apply the same basic principles. When working problems, I am prepared to explain the methodology in many ways so that I can find the one that best suits the particular student's learning style. It is not just a question of how to do the problem; rather, I want the student to see thought processes that go into it and understand why each step is taken. This is both the challenging aspect and the rewarding aspect of tutoring, and it is something you don't really experience when teaching a big room of people.

I hope you can tell that I really enjoy doing what I do, and that I hope that my enthusiasm for both chemistry and the learning process encourages you to try me out. I am fairly flexible with regards to scheduling and I look forward to working with you!From the first semester I was in college I knew I wanted to study chemistry. I did not have any background in it before I started, but that first course just intrigued me so. After a couple of years of studying it in college I knew I wanted to teach chemistry. While I pursued my Ph.D., I worked as a T.A. as often as I could, not just to gain more…Read more

Policies

Cancellation

1 hour notice required

If you need to cancel a lesson, please contact me no later than 1 hour before the meeting is to take place. Failure to contact me in that time will incur a fee of 50% of the hourly rate.

Travel Radius

Michael offers online lessons

Michael is approved to conduct lessons through Wyzant Online. Wyzant Online allows students and tutors to work remotely via video, audio, and collaborative whiteboard tools. For more information about how online tutoring works, check out Wyzant Online.

If you’re interested in online lessons, message Michael to get started.

Approved subjects

In most cases, tutors gain approval in a subject by passing a proficiency exam. For some subject areas, like music and art, tutors submit written requests to demonstrate their proficiency to potential students. If a tutor is interested but not yet approved in a subject, the subject will appear in non-bold font. Tutors need to be approved in a subject prior to beginning lessons.

Organic Chemistry

I have taught organic chemistry at a very basic (General-Organic-Biochemistry) level at the New England School of Acupuncture. I was also a TA for organic chemistry (lab and discussion) at the Harvard Extension School. More recently, I taught a few MCAT preparatory classes on organic chemistry at the University of Wyoming as well as helping students taking the Organic 1 and 2 at the same University.

Queens College

chemistry

Queens College

Master's

Harvard University

PhD

Education

Queens College (chemistry)

Queens College (Master's)

Harvard University (PhD)

Hourly rate

Standard Hourly Rate: $50.00

Cancellation: 1 hour notice required

If you need to cancel a lesson, please contact me no later than 1 hour before the meeting is to take place. Failure to contact me in that time will incur a fee of 50% of the hourly rate.

Travel policy

Michael will travel within 20 miles of Laramie, WY 82070.

Your first hour with any tutor is protected by our Good Fit Guarantee: You don’t pay for tutoring unless you find a good fit!